Or, what I learned at the 2023 Cannes Lions

I just returned from the Cannes Lions, and what an extraordinary week it was. It started a bit rocky – with canceled flights, irish exits (IYKYK) and my own personal feelings of imposter syndrome. As a longtime strategist and marketer working with some of the biggest consumer brands to the bleeding edge in tech, going to Cannes has always been a dream of mine. 

This year, I had the chance to make it a reality. It exceeded all possible expectations. While these insights might not be as profound or groundbreaking as others, they are mine. Take them or leave them.

For those of you who prefer to avoid the following 6 pages, here’s the TLDR on what I learned:

1. Brands are not obsolete (despite what Scott Galloway says) brand storytelling remains crucial and must be felt through product positioning, narratives and most importantly, vibes.

2. Personalized communication between brands and individuals is not only essential but expected. Be where the customers are and be real with them. Independent creators and their collaborative opportunities are reshaping the industry, and brands have a lot to learn from them.

3. Generative AI is friend not foe, and being embraced for efficiency and enhanced content relevance by brands big and small. Just ask Jane Lauder.

4. Retailers are becoming media platforms, bridging online and in-store sales. From Amazon to Target, retailers shared how they’re able to maximize first party data to push move customers through the funnel and drive unparalleled conversion plus loyalty/retention.

5. Web3 and shared ownership still has the potential to transform the industry, but only if we stop using polarizing, inaccessible industry jargon.

6. The metaverse is gaining traction in gaming and brand experiences, but not in much else. But GaryVee is optimistic.

7. Agencies’ are forever — their superpower lies in their reductiveness. Apple agrees.

8. Connection and authenticity drive belonging in brands and consumers, which is all we want, in the end.

9. Next year bring comfier shoes, more bandaids and a higher SPF.

For those of you who want full details, read on.

Brand is NOT over. 

Let's start with the talk about brands, which sparked some heated debates. Scott Galloway, aka Prof G, always one to provoke, continued with his claim that brands are passé, as indicated by decreasing spend on brand-based advertising. It's an argument we've heard before, and it will continue to resurface. Yet, here’s my perspective: a brand encompasses so much more than just an ad (or a logo, for that matter — and for those who have heard me rant about this before). Brands become brands at the moment they’re interpreted by their consumers and an emotional connection is established. Brands, for lack of a better word, are vibes.

Moreover, in any ad, brand is all the stuff surrounding the product. Take Apple, for instance, which Galloway cited as an example of a brand pivoting from brand ads to product ones. Apple can make an ad for iPhone but everything about it screams Apple, exuding brand essence. Similarly, Nike's identity shines through everything they do. My love for Apple runs deeper than any connection to my iPhone.

The most remarkable brands in the world seamlessly integrate their brand story into their product ads, and vice versa. This symbiotic relationship is here to stay. Moreover, as creators establish their own brands and continue shaping existing brands, the significance of brand storytelling will only intensify. That leads me to my next point.

Brands as people, people as brands. 

First, brands as people is the new expectation. Spending time with the WhatsApp team affirmed something I've recently personally experienced. Personalized communication between brands and individuals is paramount in an age where people expect to engage with brands as if they were talking to their friends. Brands must embrace this shift. There's no pride or profit to be gained from maintaining a glossy, impenetrable facade. Rather, it's about being real. Talk like them. Meet them where they are and engage with them accordingly. Have a two-way conversation. This is also a key insight for startup brands who have the ability to use these kinds of affordable tactics at the outset to develop deeper, long lasting relationships with their customers.

On the subject of people as brands, I encountered so many exceptional independent creators at Cannes (especially at the Tiktok activations.) Their collective influence and the need for brands, regardless of size, to acknowledge their value left a lasting impression. It's remarkable how many of these creators, particularly from Gen Z, supported one another and shared vulnerable experiences. Their success stories reminded me of the work Metalabel is doing with their New Creative Era initiative. A lot of creators discussed the dawn of something similar, emphasizing collaborative opportunities, ownership, control, and context – or relevance – over mere content quantity. 

Generative AI, brand friend not foe.

Despite some doubters, people are really embracing generative AI. It was everywhere. Obviously, it has huge implications for how agencies create and iterate – and there was plenty of discussion about this. But some of the takes I enjoyed were more about brands and creators harnessing its power. AI offers the ability to maximize content relevance – the right piece of content for the right individual, on the right platform, at the right time. As generative AI evolves, it only enhances this for ALL brands, creators, platforms and agencies. 

One of the things we’ve been thinking about at Atomic Number 8 (the studio I started in 2019) is how we can empower the smaller brands we work with to level up their content and storytelling with generative AI - I’m excited to embed these practices into our workflows and see how we can also use them to empower some of the smaller, more nascent creators our brands partner with.

Generative AI also unlocks some impactful opportunities for heritage brands. Jane Lauder, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Marketing and Chief Digital Officer at The Estée Lauder Companies shared some fascinating insights on the Meta stage in her fireside with Nicola Mendelsohn, Head of Global Business Group of Meta. This session was one of my favorites - primarily because I started my career at Lauder and there is still a part of me that wonders if my time there is truly done.

Lauder highlighted how big brands with rich histories, like Estée Lauder, can leverage AI to reimagine past creative work as well as existing product formulations (and enhanced product personalization.) These brands are flush with data ready to be maximized by the potential for generative AI. Thinking about brands as a culmination of years of data was something I hadn’t much considered beyond the accumulation of first party customer data. But digital archiving into these large datasets that can be remixed and reinterpreted gives these brands endless value creation opportunities (another reason why I believe brands are absolutely not dead.)

Alongside the excitement, concerns about legal ramifications and risk management were consistently raised. Admittedly, navigating these challenges amidst rapidly evolving technologies can be daunting. Yet, accepting a certain degree of risk is necessary to thrive and secure a seat at the table. Undoubtedly, the payoff will be substantial, so start now -- it’ll mean you’ll be ahead in the long run. I firmly believe that generative AI holds the power to unlock unprecedented levels of creativity. To question its potential would be to deny the gradual and impactful role AI has played in the creative process over time.

Retailers as the new media frontier for brands.

Another paradigm shift I noticed is the emergence of retailers as media platforms and the reciprocal relationship of media as retail. Retail media is experiencing rapid growth, and it's a topic I was already familiar with from recent market meetings. Measurement, transparency, and standardization have been persistent challenges for retailers, primarily because they aren't inherently media companies. 

Retailers who have invested significantly in technology -- and more specifically, cleaning up the years of first party data they’ve acquired -- such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, Sephora, and Nordstrom, are poised for success. Retail media provides brands and agencies with powerful capabilities that support the entire marketing funnel while offering performance transparency by bridging online and in--store sales.

Simultaneously, they’re leveling up loyalty programs and creating new ways for brands to tap into power users. For now, still waiting for more of them to embrace web3 a la Starbucks — it sounds like more than one are actively planning.

Considering the rise of retailers as media players, what does that mean for traditional media platforms? Can media also become retail? Or even luxury? ProfG discussed the idea of an "advertising tax" at Cannes, emphasizing that it's something not everyone can afford. 

However, the flip side of the conversation intrigued me – paying for the media content that individuals truly desire. Discussions at Spotify and MediaLink delved into what a future of paying for specific content items might look like. What would this future mean for creator compensation and ownership? More to come on that.

Web3 and the future of ownership. 

My work with various clients across web2 and web3, coupled with my personal immersion in the web3 space for the past two years, makes me biased -- I really believe in this tech.

Web3 came up many times in the context of ownership. First, brands sharing ownership. Unsurprisingly the VanynerX/V3 teams had a lot to say about this. In a world where customers will no longer give you their data in exchange for a good or service, you must offer them more.

Once shared value creation is possible, consumers become a community incentivized  to proliferate their own remixed narratives to generate value, creating a positive sum flywheel effect. The ability to co-create and co-own gives them a sense of shared purpose -- and belonging -- that garners long term engagement, evangelism, and loyalty.

The same is true for co-creation and co-ownership with creators, but even more than shared ownership, web3 creates opportunities for creators to own and monetize their content. Will.i.am’s talk at Whaler Beach on generative AI mentioned the importance of ownership for creators. His new platform, FYI, gives every creator member encryption keys, saying “Your data is yours. Your audience is yours.” He went on to explain that like cryptocurrency – or NFTs – this data is just as valuable, especially in the age of generative AI.

What might a future look like where creators own the platforms they create on? This future might seem far, but the speed of innovation only continues to accelerate; it’s probably closer than we think.

Worth noting - proponents of web3 and blockchain talked about it without using any web3 jargon, instead highlighting it as a new layer of tech, a mechanism for shared ownership and the next frontier of CRM. 

Brand experiences, gaming and the metaverse.

While not nearly as buzzy as last year, the metaverse was mentioned -- although mostly in the context of gaming and immersive brand experiences.

GaryVee shared some insightful views throughout the week, emphasizing that people yearn to be part of brand worlds. The recent partnership between Vayner, Dentsu, and Roblox made a significant statement about the relationship between brands, gaming, web3 and the metaverse. This development bodes well for web3, as Roblox could serve as a precursor or entry point for web3 gaming in the future. The involvement of Paris Hilton further solidifies my confidence in this direction (seriously.)

The enduring power of agencies. 

Referencing back to the much--covered talk given by Tor Mhyren, Apple’s VP of Marketing Comms: the strength of agencies lies in their ability to craft concise and compelling stories. 

As someone who operates a small agency and also acts as an extension of various teams, I often find myself playing the role of the outsider, offering perspectives the internal team may just be blind to because they’re so close themselves. I’ve said it before – a lot of my job is repeatedly asking the question, “but how can we say it in fewer words?” This reductiveness flies in the face of the additive nature of teams who always want to say more. But it is crucial in conveying messages meaningfully, without overwhelming people with excessive information. 

Throughout the week, I encountered numerous examples of work that perfectly demonstrated this approach, leaving a lasting impact. One of my personal favorite winners was Uncommon’s campaign “A British Original” for British Airways, which took the iconic question “What’s is the purpose of your visit?” and paired it with individual reasons to travel across 500 unique print, digital and outdoor executions - putting the individual at the heart of the beautifully simple campaign, making it instantly relatable.

In the end, we all just want to belong.

From the Reels on repeat at the Meta workshops asking, “Which nut butter are YOU?” to Apple’s winning short film*The Greatest* showing people using the life--changing accessibility features to FCB Canada’s winning B2B Runner 321 for Adidas (and the seemingly dialed up DEI agenda over the course of the week,) it’s clear we all just want to belong. Simultaneously, as things become more personalized, it makes us feel more connected.

This desire for connection extends to brands, creators, retailers and consumers alike. People want to feel like they know you, and when you reciprocate that desire, their affinity for you deepens. 

The attendees of Cannes share the same sentiment with the consumers their work serves. The silos between these organizations are coming down faster than ever -- and in their place emerging a desire to discover, a curiosity to connect and an invitation to play.

So, what does this mean -- for the brands, the agencies, the creators, me?  Mid--week, as the imposter syndrome was finally subsiding, I was at a Women in Commerce brunch and Sara Travis, President at Roundel (Target) gave the tried and true advice:just do you, be yourself. Let your freak flag fly and if they don’t like it, fuck em, because plenty of others will. 

We can all learn from this -- and the importance of leading with authenticity. The more real we get, the more we create a feeling of belonging. On the last day, having lunch with new friends from Amazon and Tiktok, one independent creator and a boutique agency owner, I shared how out of place I had felt, and how I found myself questioning -- should I go back to Corporate? One laughed and said, “but, you’re here.”

And I think that’s the point. By focusing on showing up as we are, doing what we love, and doing it really well, we can more easily form partnerships and collectives between organizations, brands and talents across the board. This requires some allowance and appreciation for decentralization, which all of us -- brands, agencies, tech companies, creators, consultants -- can benefit from.

Safe to say I left Cannes with zero imposter syndrome, excited about this work, our work, and my work. Next year I’m coming back with more comfortable shoes, extra bandaids and a stronger SPF. Now LFG.